Cobalt Digital announced an expanded lineup of IP and SDI processing solutions to be demonstrated at IBC2026, featuring new JPEG XS temporal differential coding support for its IPMX-certified products. The showcase will also include updates to its blueCORE, UltraBlue, and PACIFIC product families, highlighting the industry's shift toward hybrid ST 2110/IPMX workflows.
Broadcasters are increasingly prioritizing interoperability between ST 2110 and IPMX to bridge the gap between high-end production and flexible Pro AV environments. By implementing JPEG XS TDC, Cobalt addresses the bandwidth-heavy requirements of uncompressed IP video while maintaining the sub-frame latency critical for live workflows. This hybrid approach allows facilities to scale infrastructure without the massive engineering overhead typically associated with pure ST 2110 deployments. As software-defined architectures become the standard, watch for whether Cobalt's license-based upgrade model for openGear cards accelerates hardware-to-IP transitions in mid-tier regional studios.
The transition to IP-based media transport is increasingly bifurcating between the rigid precision of SMPTE ST 2110 and the flexibility of IPMX. Per Macnica (March 2026), while ST 2110 remains the benchmark for deterministic, uncompressed broadcast hubs, its heavy reliance on Precision Time Protocol (PTP) infrastructure often creates cost barriers for regional news bureaus and mobile units. IPMX, developed by the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), offers a 'pragmatic' alternative by supporting asynchronous sources and HDMI-style workflows while maintaining a compatible control plane through NMOS.
Interoperability has become the primary market driver as vendors move away from proprietary AV-over-IP silos. According to Promwad reporting from early 2026, the industry has shifted from debating standards to solving deployment friction in 'brownfield' facilities where SDI and IP must coexist. Cobalt’s focus on the openGear initiative—which celebrated its 20th anniversary at NAB 2026—highlights a broader trend toward vendor-agnostic hardware frames. Analysts note that the ability to mix and match SDI and IP-native cards within a single chassis is now a baseline requirement for broadcast integrators.
Compression technology like JPEG XS is central to this evolution, particularly as 4K and 8K production scales. Per intoPIX (February 2026), the integration of Temporal Differential Coding (TDC) within IPMX systems significantly enhances bandwidth efficiency without sacrificing visual quality. This is particularly relevant as spectrum changes, such as the FCC’s C-band auctions, force satellite operators to adopt hybrid satellite-internet distribution models compliant with VSR TR-06-4 Part 7, a standard now supported in Cobalt's PACIFIC compression line.
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